The most important times, called the "hinge hours," are Morning Prayer (which takes place upon rising) and Evening Prayer (which takes place as dusk begins to fall). The Liturgy of the Hours includes several specified times of prayer. Through this prayer, the people of God sanctify the day by continual praise of God and prayers of intercession for the needs of the world. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church fulfills Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1 see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Can you find one set time each day to center yourself and pray the liturgy? Then you can begin to pray the Divine Hours.Evening Prayer (also called Vespers) is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. Praying the Divine Hours isn’t an all or nothing experience. Whether you pray alone or with others, know that fixed-hour liturgical prayer grounds you in the community of believers who are also praying those same prayers and reading the same Scripture that day. If you are able to gather with your family, friends, or faith community, whether in person or online, you can pray the liturgy together. If you already have an established prayer time, you can incorporate the liturgy of the Divine Hours into this time.įixed-hour prayer practices can also be a wonderful way to pray with others. ![]() Starting with one time then adding additional prayer times in the future is a wonderful way to begin. This could be first thing in the morning, on your lunch break, or before bed. One of the best ways to begin practicing fixed-hour prayer is to find one time each day when you will commit to stopping what you are doing in order to pray. The daily prayers from the Taize community in France and the Northumbria community are a great way to connect with the global body of believers as you pray the Divine Hours.A My Daily Office app on your phone or mobile device provides daily prayers and Bible readings.The Common Prayer app provides a prayer, a song, and Scripture for each day.The Divine Hours liturgy written by Phyllis Tickle is available in book-form (in seasonal collections) or online through her daily liturgy.While it may seem daunting to dive into three, five, or more set prayer sessions each day, there are many ways to practice the Divine Hours, and there are many resources to help all believers engage in daily prayer.Īccessible resources for daily, fixed-hour prayers: This generally includes set prayers, Scripture reading, and possibly a song or hymn. The practice of fixed-hour prayer is not simply stopping to pray extemporaneously throughout the day rather, these times of prayer follow a liturgy, or a structured way of praying. ![]() Fixed-hour prayer was a part of every believer’s daily life in the early church, shaping their days around Scripture and prayer, most often the Lord’s Prayer. What you might not know about the spiritual practice of Divine Hours-whether you’ve learned about the practice personally or vicariously through media-is that the practice of fixed-hour prayer was not originally something that was specific to the monastic or clerical classes. Shaping the day with prayer and Scripture ![]() Simpler adaptations of the Divine Hours involve a morning prayer, a mid-day prayer, and an evening prayer. In addition, there are evening prayers and morning prayers outside of these times. The typical schedule for the Divine Hours follows a three-hour pattern, with prayers at 6:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., noon, 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. The Divine Hours, sometimes called fixed-hour prayer, have existed since before Christianity formalized, having their roots in the daily prayer rhythm of Judaism. They follow the Divine Hours, praying at multiple set times throughout the day and often throughout the night too. I f you have ever been to a monastery or an abbey, or if you have ever watched a television show that featured monks or nuns, you may have noticed that they faithfully gather together for prayer many times a day.
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